Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Mariners Content Creator Spotlight: Ben Ranieri of Sea Level

Episode Date: February 23, 2024

Our Mariners Content Creator Spotlight series continues as Ty is joined by writer and podcaster Ben Ranieri, the creator of Sea Level on Substack.WIN COLBY'S STUFF TERMS & CONDITIONS!Ask us questions!...Follow the show on Twitter: @LO_Mariners | @TyDaneGonzalez | @CPat11Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BackblazeReceive a fully-featured no risk free trial at Backblaze.com/lockedonmlb. Go there, play with it, start protecting yourself from potential bad times! eBay MotorsWith all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to turn your car into the MVP and bring home that win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.FanDuelNew customers, join today and you’ll get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS if your first bet of FIVE DOLLARS or more wins. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 It's time for episode three of the Mariners content creator spotlight. This time we got Ben Rennery of the sea level substack coming up here on the Lockdown Marins podcast. Let's sail. You are locked on Mariners. Your daily Seattle Mariners podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Uh-hoi sailors.
Starting point is 00:00:26 It is Friday, February 23rd, 2024. This is Tad of Gazzalus for the Locked on Mariner's podcast brought to you by Fandong We'll make every moment more new customers join today and you'll get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet of $5 and more wins. Visit fanduel.com slash locked on. That's L-O-C-K-D-O-N to get yourself started. Thank you so much for making us your first listen. Subscribe, like, internal alerts.
Starting point is 00:00:53 If you're watching on YouTube or subscribe, and leave a five-star review on your preferred podcast platform if you like what you hear. And if you're part of the crew and rock with us every single day, let us know in the comments below. We'd love to hear from you. And if you want to hear from us even more, please consider signing up for our Patreon. You can now get a free seven-day trial to check out the show. The link as well as our social accounts is in the description of this episode. And on this episode, we continue our Mariners Content Creator Spotlight series with Ben Reneery of the sea level substack. I have known Ben for the last couple years. Really good dude. Really talented.
Starting point is 00:01:32 talented dude who makes great content over on his substack, the sea level substack. And if you don't know who he is, I'm really excited to introduce you to him right now. Let's get into it. All right. I am here with Ben Rennery. His substack sea level is one of the best sources of Mariners content out there. Lots of good written content on their podcasts. Some really cool interviews with guys like Ryan Divish, Cade Marlowe pitching ninja.
Starting point is 00:02:01 and most recently Tanner Stokey, the hitting director over at Drive Line. So if you're interested in what Tyrants has been up to this offseason, you should definitely go check that out. Colby and I have also been on the show quite a few times. It's really good stuff over there. Ben, pleasure to have you on. You and I talk pretty much every day off air,
Starting point is 00:02:20 but it's always nice whenever we get a chance to hop on the mic. So thanks so much for being there. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. So let's start here. How did your Mariners fandom begin? Mariners fandom. So I grew up, I grew up actually a Yankees fan in my very early days.
Starting point is 00:02:39 My dad was a big Yankees fan. So my like probably until I was about eight, I was the Yankees fan. I was more like of a Jeter fan. Derek Jeter was my guy growing up. That's what I wanted to be like. That's why I wanted to swing like. And then I was about, it was a bad time to get into Mariners fandom because it was probably about, I mean, I always kind of followed them because I was an Eitro fan and stuff like that.
Starting point is 00:03:05 But I grew up in Boise, Idaho. So we had access to Mariners games. That was what we had as our local. That was the local team. And so I basically started watching every fifth day, and Felix was my guy. So getting to go last year to watch his ceremony was super awesome and super meaningful to me, personally and he was kind of how i got into it and those offenses were pitiful i mean that was terrible it seems like can score when he runs um but i tuned in every fifth day to watch felix and it just kind of
Starting point is 00:03:40 i don't know i've always kind of been a guy who kind of loves the underdog and so i started kind of pulling for the mariners more than the yankees fandom felt a little too easy and so i just kind of fully dove into the mariners um because you went from one end of the spectrum to the complete opposite yeah yes and that was I mean, that was when the Yankees were like really good. Like they were signing C.C. Savathia and Agent Burnett and all those guys. So like they were pretty legit. And I don't know. Just kind of something drew me to the Mariners.
Starting point is 00:04:11 Loved Felix. I wanted to be Felix. And then just kind of snowballed from there and been Mariners diehard ever since. What was your, what's your favorite Felix moment? Ooh. Favorite Felix moment? Man, it was just like, I really enjoyed the, this is my house. That was a great one.
Starting point is 00:04:35 I mean, the perfect games. And that's a pretty easy answer. But this is my house. So it was kind of like, okay, this is our guy. Like he's got us. Every time he's on the mound, they got a chance to win. That's probably my favorite. I mean, getting to watch him.
Starting point is 00:04:52 Actually, underrated moment is seeing him come out. And I was at the playoff game. and seeing him walk out. I'm getting goosebumps just talking about it. Like seeing him walk out to throw the first pitch was an all-time moment in my full-circle moment in my life. He didn't get to be a part of the playoff team. But, man, like seeing that guy come out and throw the first pitch was, that was an all-time moment for me. It was crazy.
Starting point is 00:05:17 Yeah, it was crazy. It was awesome. So I obviously am aware of this, but I'm sure our listeners want to know what got you to covering the Mariners and how did you get your start and how have things kind of progressed over the last couple years? Yeah. So I was liked writing a lot, but I really wanted to have a voice. I felt like I had the capability to have a voice and I felt like I wanted to share my opinions.
Starting point is 00:05:47 I didn't really know how to do that. So I got in touch with Chris O'Day over at Soto Mojo and I just kind of started doing that. I was writing articles and I enjoyed it. I was just more of like when I had time to do it. I would do it and then did that for about a year. And then obviously got linked up with you guys at SI Fan Nation and did that for a little while. And now we're here doing C level stuff. So in what ways?
Starting point is 00:06:20 Because for those that don't know, you've played the game, you go to drive line. and you're very much connected and involved in baseball still. So in what ways do you feel playing the game has helped you in your content creation? Because it's a very unique perspective that we don't really have a ton of, particularly in this community. Yeah, so I feel like the biggest thing for me is the kind of some of the perspective that drive-line's kind of given me and just play in the game. I played in college, but I'm not going to say that I was like a super excellent college player or anything like that.
Starting point is 00:07:02 Like I had to work really, really hard to be even as good as I was, which was not great. And so part of the thing that I've really taken into the content realm is that this game is really, really hard. So like I feel like I have a pretty good perspective of like how hard this game is. And it's easy for us to be kind of armchair, couch, quarterback, like, be really, really critical of the guys out there. But it's a really hard game. And so when guys are going through struggles, like, I really feel for guys. Like, when I were really going through, like, Thai last year, for example, like, I know it's easy for us to sit on Twitter and be like, this guy sucks. Like, he won't stop hitting it in a double plays, all this stuff.
Starting point is 00:07:50 but like I really feel for guys that are searching for something. Like it happens to professional baseball players. It's a super, super hard game. That's why the guys that are so consistent day in and day out end up in the Hall of Fame because it's a super hard game. So I feel like just the failure of the game in general has always really stuck with me. And I try not to be too critical of guys even when they're going really bad because I know how hard it is and how much it can beat you up mentally.
Starting point is 00:08:20 And also like another thing is the actual physical grind of the game is something that I don't think that people fully realize how much these guys put their body through. By the end of the year, everybody's got a nick or a bruise that they're dealing with. And so it's just a really hard game on a lot of levels and I have a lot of appreciation for it. So yeah. So I'm going to embarrass you a little bit. That's fine. Ben has a baseball reference page. Oh, God. I do. I do.
Starting point is 00:08:54 I want you to tell me your best moment playing the game and your worst moment playing at the game. Best moment. Okay, this kind of ties a little bit full circle. So I spent, so my freshman year, I didn't have a single extra base hit. Like, not a single extra base hit in college baseball. Not one. not hit the ball over an outfielder's head to save my life. Came back the next year. I spent a little bit of time at Drive line after my freshman year.
Starting point is 00:09:31 Came back the next year and was a little bit better and a little bit more pop, but still like kind of struggle to find my way into the lineup. And then my junior year, the summer before my junior year, I spent a ton of time at Drive line, pretty much that entire summer. and I was even bad at like I had some shoulder dislocation stuff that I was kind of fighting through, but I was really determined to like figure out how I could maximize my career to the best of my ability. So I spent a ton of time with, I actually had Tanner Soki, so like the same guy that's worked with JP primarily. Tanner Stokey and Max Garrett, shout out to those guys.
Starting point is 00:10:11 Both of those guys I worked with pretty heavily at Drive Line. the summer before my junior year. And literally, I'm not kidding, like never had hit a home run in my entire life, not in Little League. I was always like just kind of a speed guy, like singles, get on base, that kind of stuff. And so it's kind of a tie. I had two, I had two bombs that year after training at Drive Line. The first one was I'm pretty sure I had COVID, but I was really sick.
Starting point is 00:10:42 We came back from an Arizona trip, so I was really sick, and I let off the game with, like, an actual bomb. Like, it was pretty legit. I felt pretty good. So I let off the game with the bomb. And then the next weekend, I had a ninth inning three-run Homer to tie the game. So those two are probably tied for the best moment. And then worst moment, she's a lot of them. I got a concussion.
Starting point is 00:11:14 Probably the worst moment was I got a concussion my senior year like three or four days before the season opener. So I missed the first two series and like just kind of struggled with the effects of coming back from that and just never really found my way back into the lineup. So yeah, that's probably the worst moment. But the best moment is definitely my drive-line evolution story into being able to actually hit a ball over the fence twice. So if you had to grade your tools, how would you grade them? Hit tool was probably like a 20 or 30. Power, probably a 20 or 30. The only thing I could probably run.
Starting point is 00:11:53 Until you went to drive line. Did you get a little bit of a bump for sure? Yeah. Full grade bump. Maybe? Yeah, probably a full grade bump. Yeah. All right.
Starting point is 00:12:01 All right. I could run a little bit. Defense was my thing. I was a center fielder. So that was always kind of my calling card on the thing that I could lean on. But yeah, I wasn't the fastest, but my jumps were pretty good.
Starting point is 00:12:17 I'll give myself that. So defensively, that's definitely, definitely my best grade. I had a decent arm too, probably like a little bit above average. Obviously, we're not talking on a major league scale here. This is a low-level college scale. We're probably-grading on a curve. Yes, absolutely.
Starting point is 00:12:33 More from my conversation with Ben Reneery in just a moment. But first, a reminder, this episode of the Locked-Oam Airs podcast is brought to you by Backblaze. Backblaze offers unlimited cloud backup for Macs, PCs, and businesses for just $99 a year. You can easily protect business data
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Starting point is 00:13:51 Thank you again for making us your first listen. I'm here with Ben Rennery of C-level. So, Ben, what is your creative process like? My creative process is, well, it's changed a little bit. I don't one thing I've definitely noticed I love I love writing I do love writing it's very time consuming and I have a coach as well and so I got a pretty busy schedule and so like it takes a lot of time for me to sit down and write and like I just I didn't get I got good feedback on my writing but not it didn't get the type of viewership that was really driving.
Starting point is 00:14:33 my site forward a lot. And so I've really shifted more to podcast stuff because it's just, I think it's easier for people to digest. It's easier for me to sit down and talk about my thoughts rather than to sit down and write about them. It's just, it's more time efficient for me. So for me, it's like, it's kind of week to week depending on, I'm always kind of searching for people that I can, I'm always kind of shooting my shot at trying to get interviews and
Starting point is 00:15:02 stuff like that. So that definitely feeds into it. If I have an interview, I'll kind of plan my week content-wise around the interview and kind of plug that on my other shows. But I'm definitely just kind of planning out week by week at this point, especially in the off-season. Like I always do a trade deadline guide. I always do like an off-season guide and a free agency guide.
Starting point is 00:15:26 So I have those things. And then from there, I just kind of like go with the flow of what the rumors are in the off-season. and then it certainly helps with like what kind of questions do I get from listeners. Like I want to talk about what people want to know and where I can share my best information. And so I'm definitely during the season, it's more just like reacting to what I find significant during games. And as the season kind of goes along, that's kind of how I roll just day to day. And then the off season is where I plan stuff out a lot more. And then during the season, it's just kind of reacting to how the team's playing and kind of just recording my thoughts on that.
Starting point is 00:16:10 So you were credentialed. I was able to get you credentialed when we were doing our thing over at SI for a few months there. I'm sure there's people listening right now that would like to know what that's like being a credentialed writer, being able to be in the clubhouse, go on the field, et cetera, T-Mobile Park. Yeah, it was really, really cool. Shout to you guys for that helping me. You guys really helped me just get my foot in the door. I got to for sure give a shout out to it's been extremely helpful to have to make connections in the industry. Big shout out to Larry Stone and Ryan Divish. They've really taken me under their wing. Dave Sims actually on my first day, I don't think Divish was there on my very first day. I still need to get Simsy on the show. show, by the way. I've DMed with him twice. And he's been like, yeah, I'll come on the show. And then I'll reach back out to him. And he like doesn't say anything. I never, I never check back in. So I need to get, I need to be more on top of that. But we need to get Simsy on the show for sure.
Starting point is 00:17:18 So Sims is the man. So my very first day, I don't think Divish was there. And so I was, I'm not going to lie to you guys. I was freaking out a little bit. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to go. Yeah, I think I called you a couple of times that day and we talked a little bit. Yeah, I was freaking out. And I reached out to, I didn't know what to do. Divich wasn't going to be there. I didn't know where to go. So I reached out to Dave Sims.
Starting point is 00:17:45 I had interviewed him, I think, a couple weeks prior about some of his best calls. And so I reached out to him again and I was like, hey, I'm going to be at the ballpark. Like, I don't know what to do. And he was like, hey, just come with me. So he met me up in the press box. He took me straight down in the clubhouse and he just like walked me over. I remember he walked me over to Robbie Ray and we just kind of started talking to Robbie Ray. And then we walked over to Mitch Hanigur.
Starting point is 00:18:12 He was rehabbing Everett that day. But we went over and talked to Mitch. And so he kind of just like facilitated me feeling comfortable. That's awesome. And then obviously I talked to like Corey Brock is also fantastic. He's a really, really nice dude. Yeah. And so I got to meet those guys.
Starting point is 00:18:31 It's really cool. It's super fun. Just like I obviously, even in the time that I was there, I didn't feel super comfortable like walking up to guys and just like asking questions. And I didn't feel that comfortable yet. But being in the clubhouse, being around the guys is really, really cool. And then being able to go out on the field and watch their preparation pregame is really cool. Because that's stuff we don't, you don't get to see.
Starting point is 00:18:58 on TV. You don't get to see them work with Perry Hill before the game. You don't get to see how animated he is. And so being able to watch the BP on the field is a whole new experience and a really, really cool one. And then being able to watch the game from the press box is also really, really interesting. So it's just a really fun way to take in a game. Yeah, it's just, it's absolutely awesome. And then being able to be in the pressers with Scott, it's, It's a real feeling just like, because like, you know the camera's behind you. Like, you know the people are watching it at home, but you're like right there. So I've been through the whole process of everything and it was a really, really cool thing that I got to do.
Starting point is 00:19:45 What are your main objectives with content creating? Do you have any like core philosophies or goals that you set out to accomplish? I would say I really try to kind of stay in I'm not a I'm more of like a true true journalist I guess you could say like I'm not going to be like a I'm never going to be a really clickbaity type of person I want to give like real honest you're very objective and I really appreciate that about you. Yeah, that's honestly what I try to be is really objective no matter what, like no matter if I have a relationship with a player or what the case may be or if I think a guy is really struggling. I try to be really objective and see it from both sides. So yeah, that's kind of how I go with it.
Starting point is 00:20:45 I do my best to like use some of my playing experience and like my, I do know a little bit about the swing and stuff like that. So I try to use, like, draw on some of those things and just be really, really objective. And I try to be fair to the players, first and foremost, because I know how hard their jobs are. So that's ultimately my objective. And I'm not going to, I'm more of a true journalist in the fact that I'm never going to be really click-bady with my headlines on things. I just want to talk ball. Like, I don't, I'm not trying to lure anybody in with any, like, crazy hot takes.
Starting point is 00:21:24 or anything like that. I just want to talk about the Mariners, just like I'm talking with somebody while watching a game or something like that. Right. Do you have any big dreams or goals for your future doing this or just the future of sea level?
Starting point is 00:21:41 Yeah, I mean, obviously, like, I think kind of my goal, kind of all the way going back, like I can remember, this is actually a fun fact that I didn't mention earlier. I when I was 12 I actually won the Mariners like ultimate fan from Idaho. Oh really? Like I'm from Boise.
Starting point is 00:22:03 So I won the Mariners ultimate fan from Idaho. And I was on TV for like a, I don't know, 30 second segment. They showed like my picture and stuff. Didn't think much of it. Like it was, I mean, it was really cool at the time. But a couple months later, they reached out and we're like, hey, like we want to get you to a game as like one of the ultimate fan from Idaho. So I got to go to a game. They root sports hooked it up with like a hotel room for me and my dad.
Starting point is 00:22:28 And then I walked out on the red carpet with the moose before the game. I was 12, right? So like this meant the world to me. And so I always from then I kind of felt like I was destined to do something in sports or I was supposed to do something in sports. And so I guess my dream has always been to just like just talk about talk, right? be about baseball full time. So like if that was ever an opportunity for me to do just baseball stuff,
Starting point is 00:22:59 whether it's with C-level or whether it's somewhere else, being full-time covering baseball is like my only thing. That would be, that's like the ultimate dream. And it's been that way for as long as I can pretty much remember. But I specifically remember being the ultimate fan and being like, yeah, like, this is, I want to be involved with this game for a really long time. So that's suck. That's suck.
Starting point is 00:23:24 Yeah. What are you most proud of? Ooh. Man, probably, I mean, I think now looking back on it, it is pretty cool that I got to interview Julio. Yeah. That was before he kind of like busted out into being the star that we know today. So looking back on that, like that is, and that was just basically by happenstance. It's, that was really cool.
Starting point is 00:23:58 I think you said it was right after you hit the inside the Parker in spring training. Yeah, yeah, it was. It was literally like, I think the next day. That's crazy. That interview was hilarious. I was just like, I think I asked him something about like playing center field and he's like, yeah, no, like it's not that hard. You just like see it off the bat and it just comes right at you and you go get it. And I was like, oh, because that was when he was just shifting to being able to play center field.
Starting point is 00:24:22 Like nobody thought this guy could play center field. And so that was pretty cool looking back on it. It's just that easy, Ben. Yeah, it's just that easy, you know. Maybe for Julio it is. Recently, though, we at sea level, I would say, my goal for the offseason was to get to 100 paid subscribers. And since September, we're up 300%.
Starting point is 00:24:52 So we're at- That's awesome. Congratulations. Yeah, last night we broke over 200 with the standard Stokey stuff. And so that's been, that was a huge goal of mine, was to get to 100 this off season, let alone 200, has been a really, really cool experience.
Starting point is 00:25:10 So it's Julio probably in the big picture. And then recently since that happened last night, that was a big goal of mine, a whole off season that I've been chasing. So that one felt pretty good. More from my conversation with Ben Renierry in just a moment, but first, a reminder this episode of the Locked-on Ameris podcast is brought to you by Fanduel. With football officially in the books and some time before baseball gets underway,
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Starting point is 00:26:00 Fanduel, official sportsbook partner of the NBA. You're listening to the Lockdown Marreras podcast. Thank you again for making us your first listen. I'm here with Ben Reneery of the level. So, Ben, let's talk some ball. Yeah. I've asked Mariner Mojo, Marine Lair, now I'm going to ask you just your overall thoughts on this offseason.
Starting point is 00:26:23 You and I have talked about this a lot, of course, but I'm sure people listening want to hear what your thoughts are overall on what's happened over the last few months with this team. Yeah, I think it was, I mean, it was such a wave of kind of emotions and how things went, because obviously, like, I came into the off season really having high hopes for this team. Like, I thought it was, I mean, I didn't think that they were going to push the payroll to like $200 million,
Starting point is 00:26:57 but I thought, I mean, we can push the payroll here to $165, 175, like in territories that they've been before and really get this thing going. And then to hear the RSN stuff is pretty disappointing, obviously, and it kind of felt like the sky was falling for a little while in the Mariners community. And I was a big, big, big, geno fan. Again, I try to be objective. And I know that there was some decline there. And so that trade hurt.
Starting point is 00:27:33 That one hurt. And it was like, oh, man, like, what direction are we going in here? And then the Kelnick trade, like, I get it. I get that they're trying to cut payroll. And that's the way that they had to do it. But, like, man, like, that's a real shot to the groin there with trading a guy that you had such high hopes for in Jared Kelnick in a trade like that. It's just not the way that you wanted to see that happen.
Starting point is 00:28:00 And so for a while there, it's like, man, like, what are they going to be able to do? Are they going to be able to sign a free agent? And then ever since then, man, like, whatever you want to say about this front office, like if you don't think they've done a good job this office season, that's, it's your, it's your right to think that. But if you don't think that they care and if you don't think that they probably turned over every rock and stone to try to make this team
Starting point is 00:28:28 better, I just, I think that you're wrong. I'm really glad that they've chosen to go this direction instead of running it back. I don't think running it back was the right idea. And one thing that I talked about, this is going to come out on my show tomorrow, I'm really happy with the type of people that they've chosen to bring in this off-season. I think Scott Service said, like, this is the hungriest team he's been around.
Starting point is 00:28:56 I don't know if this is what he means, but, like, obviously, like, Cal and JP and Julio and those guys, like, they're pissed off. They didn't make the playoffs last year, and they're hungry. They want to win anyways. But I love the guys that they've brought in this off-season. I think Mitch Garver from everything I've heard is he pretty. prepares to play Jorge Polanco. He's a worker and he prepares to play. And then we know Mitch Hanigur.
Starting point is 00:29:22 The guy prepares to play. And so I love the- Dude was down in Arizona like three weeks out of time. Yes, yes. And like the type of people that they've brought in and the type of preparation that those guys put in, in addition to like how good they are as players, I think it's been a really good off-season,
Starting point is 00:29:43 and all things considered. What are your overall expectations now for this team in 2024? I mean, one thing, it's easy to forget that this team was like right on the heels of the Astros and the Rangers, right? The two teams that were in the ALCS. This team is still, like, I know a lot of people seem to think that they're like completely mediocre, but they have some really good pitching. Like the pitching, as long as it stays healthy, is going to carry this team. And so I still have high expectations.
Starting point is 00:30:21 Like, I don't see how they're, I do not see how they're worse than last year. Obviously, like, it's easy to say that now knowing what we know about how Colton Wong and and Teo turned out. But I have been, and I know you've said this on your show and I said this in talking to you a couple weeks ago, but I've been really big. on the train of like just get too much, get too many guys that can contribute. And they have a ton of guys now. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:30:50 They're not even going to have to count on a guy like Ryan Bliss this year, hopefully. Right. A guy like Ryan Bliss and some of these guys that they've acquired, they just have so much more depth than they've had the last two seasons. So while the lineup might on paper look pretty similar to how it did on opening day last year, I still think it's better. than it was last opening day. They are incredibly deep in a lot of different positions they have. Guys that they can just stash down in AAA, and a lot of guys that I believe in down in AAA,
Starting point is 00:31:26 like Kate Marlowe's probably going to start the year in AAA. He's a really good player. I really like him. And just they have so much more depth. I think this is a playoff team. I really do. I think, I actually think they're going to finish. I think, I'm not going to pick them ahead of the Astros.
Starting point is 00:31:45 I just, it's hard to bet against the Astros. Never, never bet against weird Astro Magic. No, I'm not going to bet against the Astros. But I think they can, I think they can be better than the Rangers this year. I really do. Like, I think that team is, obviously they're going to have a full season of Evan Carter and they got Wyatt Langford waiting in the wings. So like they got some, they got some reinforcements coming.
Starting point is 00:32:07 They're going to be. They still got a pitch. They still got a pitch, though. Like, they might score like 10 runs every single game. Yes. Might give up 11. And hey, man, like, at the end of the day, too, like, remember how long it took Dylan Moore to come back from core muscle surgery?
Starting point is 00:32:24 Like, Corey Seeker has, it's not like he's just going to roll. I mean, he might. I'm not going to put it past Corey Segar, but like that's not necessarily a guarantee is what I'm saying. Right. Yeah. And they're definitely, it's weird to say it, but they're probably an older team. Well, there's too.
Starting point is 00:32:42 Simeon's done that up and down thing. Like, you know, one year he's kind of mediocre. The next year he's an MVP candidate. Don't get me wrong. Like, I have, there's questions still. Like, not super solid on the, I don't feel great about the corner outfield situation. I definitely don't feel great about that. I don't know how like the back or like the, I guess, middle of the bullpen and the bottom of the bullpen is going to end up turning out.
Starting point is 00:33:08 But I have no really. worries about this front office and putting together a bullpen. So I think it's going to be a really good team. I think they're going to make the playoffs. So I got high expectations for them. All right. Well, Ben, I want to thank you so much for hopping on here with me for the third episode of the Mariners Content Creator's Spotlight.
Starting point is 00:33:29 Let everyone know where they can find your work. Yeah, so you can follow me on Twitter at Ben Rennery 10. And you can go subscribe to my subscription. tech it's c levelbr.com it's just $5 a month if you want to come support it and you'll get access to everything I do I'll probably do for the most part a daily podcast at least during the week during the season so it's $5 a month $40 for a year and you get a Julio or Vegas rookie card with that or you can do $65 for MVP subscription and you get an autograph card with that And I got some pretty good ones.
Starting point is 00:34:12 Pretty good ones waiting in the wings for whoever wants to come grab those. So yeah, come subscribe to sea level, whether it's free or paid. And I'll get some good content out there for you this season. And you're also, I think we're planning on you joining me next week. Yeah, next Friday. We're going to be talking some Thai France. We're going to be talking about driveline in general and just talk more ball. So you guys enjoyed the tail end of this conversation.
Starting point is 00:34:39 you're going to get more of it next week because Colby's out of town. So Ben's going to be hopping on here with me. It's going to be a lot of fun. Thanks so much, Ben. Absolutely. Yeah, thank you. Thanks again to Ben for hopping on with me. Hope you enjoyed the conversation.
Starting point is 00:34:52 I cannot recommend his substack enough. If you are a Mariners fan and want some of the best Mariners content out there, go subscribe to his substack right now, C-levelBR.com. Again, cannot recommend it enough. It is really, really good stuff. Thank you so much for joining me here. on the Lockdown Mariner's podcast. I've been your host, Tidey Gonzalez.
Starting point is 00:35:13 Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter at L0 underscore Mariners. You can follow me at Tidea and Gonzalez and my co-coast Colby at C-PAT 11. That's C-PAT-1-1. You can also find all that stuff in the description of this episode. Thank you again for making us your first listen. Have yourself a beautiful baseball day and we'll see you next time. Peace.

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